Business Owner Newsletter - 2016 Archive - Page 6

Quote: "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency."  - Bill Gates

Chances are you'll be working with a vendor to implement technology in your business. These vendors might be web designers, social media experts, or even sales people for technology tools such as CRMs or email marketing software. We often find that the communication between the vendors and business owners often halts, muddies, or even worse completely ruins many attempts at implementing technology in a business. Here are a few tips to ensure that as a small business owner you are prepared to talk the talk with your technology vendors.

Technology! You can love it or hate it, but there's one thing that is clear:  it's here to stay. This means that as a business owner you must learn to deal with it. Otherwise, your business can suffer. Does that mean you need to adapt right now to technology? Absolutely not, but it does mean you need to think about technology from a strategic point of view. Today we'll be looking at the productive points of view business owners need to adopt when discussing technology:

This month we've focused on understanding how you decorate your rut. We looked at ruts that feel safe and comfortable, and discussed the need for small action steps to escape ruts. This week we want to focus on ruts that feel uncomfortable.
 

Last week we challenged you to identify a rut and to think about how it's decorated.  This week we want to focus on the ruts that feel safe and comfortable.  Examples of ruts that feel safe and comfortable might be:

Last week, we ended with a challenge to design an end-game scenario or story for the end of this year.  In other words, how would you optimally describe your business on December 31, 2016 if you could have your most desired outcome?  Today we begin with the end.  That is the only productive way to start anything with a desired result.  It is very hard to get there if you don't have any idea what it is.  You cannot create a path to something you have not identified. Engaging your team in a set of goals is almost impossible without the ability to tell them where they are going.